ANNUAL REVIEW master Final3a - St Vincent's University Hospital

St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group Limited - Annual Review 2007
Department - Medicine
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
A rehabilitation consultation provides an expert opinion, offers education to staff, patients and carers/families
and improves patient care. It facilitates appropriate management of individuals with complex disabilities,
preventing many complications and facilitating patients’ care pathways. Typically, consultation leads to a
significant contribution in the management of clinical cases in several ways: assessment and management
of complex disabilities (spasticity management, splinting and special seating and 24hr positioning advice)
pain management, management of agitation and altered behaviour post-acquired brain injury, pre-amputation
consultations and prosthetic rehabilitation, spinal injury rehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
In 2007, the Rehabilitation Medicine Department received 58 inpatient referrals. The most common reasons
for referral are usually stroke (approx. 30% cases), traumatic brain injury (approx. 20% cases), amputation
(approx. 10% cases) and the remainder various neurological and miscellaneous diagnoses. Approximately
60% of referrals were from medical teams and 40% from surgical teams. There was a 60:40 ratio of male:
female referrals with 51-70 year olds representing approximately 1/3 of the referrals. Approximately 50%
of the patients were transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) for a programme of
rehabilitation, 10% went on to be followed-up in the SVUH Rehabilitation outpatient clinic and 10% attended
the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Clinic at the NRH. Advice on complex disabilities was given on almost 20% but
they were unfit/unsuitable for further transfer to the NRH, while the remainder were either transferred
elsewhere, expatriated to home countries or died.
58 new patients attended the rehabilitation outpatient clinic with 93 return patients attending. These patients
included follow-up from inpatient admissions, new GP referrals and past SVUH patient who have undergone
the NRH rehabilitation programme.
Staff within the Department:
Consultants in Rehabilitation Medicine Dr. Nicola Ryall, FRCPI Dr. Aine Carroll, MD, FRCPI
Specialist Registrars in Geriatric Medicine Dr. Mary Martin Dr. Kit Mun Tan,
The Department provided training, six months each, for two Specialist Registrars from Geriatric Medicine.
There was particular emphasis on training in the areas of spasticity management, assessment and
management of complex disabled patients, amputee rehabilitation, stroke and neurocognitive rehabilitation.
This proved highly successful.
All members of the departments were involved with undergraduate and post-graduate teaching and
education of medical and allied health professionals. The team members also participated in clinical audit and
research. Dr Kit Mun Tan was awarded with a distinction for her presentation on ‘Peripartum and puerperial
stroke’ at the XVI European Stroke Conference, Glasgow 29/05/2007.
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